Improvement in braiding attachments for sewing-machines



H. H. CHITTENDEN.

BradngAttachment for Sewing Machines-.

`Paented June 28, 1864.

No.y 43,289.

MPN mgl. ..8898

.i mi.

UNITED 'STATES PATENT GEEICE.

HORACE H. cHiT'rENDEN, OE NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVMENI IN BRAIDlNG-ATTACHMENTS FORSEWING-MCHINES.

Specification forming part 'of' Letters Patent No. 43,289, dated J une28, i864.

To all 'whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE H. CHITTEN- DEN, of New Haven, in the countyof New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and usefulBraiding Attachment for Sewing-Machines; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the constructionand operation of the same, when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings and the letters of refcrence marked thereon, andwhich said drawings constitute part of this specification, andrepresent, in

Figure l, a partial side view of a portion of a sewing-machine with myimproved attachment;` Fig. 2. a plan or top view ofthe same; and inFigs. 3 to 14, inclusive, detached views to more fully illustrate myinvention.

Same letters `and characters indicate like parts.

My invention rela-tes to that class of' work done upon sewing-machinescalled braiding;77 and itconsists, first, in a rocking braid-guide orfingers whereby the braid or cord being used is laid upon the fabric towhich itis to be stitched in the most perfect manner; second, theapparatus for operating the said rocking braidguide or lingers. i

To enable others skilled in the art to make anduse my improvements, Iwill proceed to describe the construction of the same, as also theoperation.

I represent my improvements as attached to a Wheeler 85 Wilsonsewing-machine; but it is equally applicable to any othersewing-machine. I show in my drawings so much of' the saidsewing-machine as will enable me fully to illustrate my invention.

A is the cloth-plate; B, the needle-arm; G, the presser-arm, and D thepresser-foot.

That I may the better illustrate my invention, I show the braid-guideand its tingcrs enlarged in Figs. 3 to 8, inclusive.

c is the braid-guide. (Shown in section, Fig. 6.) It consists of' ahollow spindle, its inner end divided to form two ngers, b and c. On

the presser-foot D, I construct a bearing, d, in which IV place thespindle or tail of' the braidguide a. In this said bearing it must lieperfectly free to he moved, as hereinafter described. eis theneedle-hole in the presserfoot. Through the spindle of ihc guide tt passthe ends of' two pieces of braid or cord. (Represented in Figs. 3` and 5in red and blue.) The end of' one (the blue) passes through an eye inone of the ngers, b, and that of' the other (the red) through the eye ofthe other finger, c, or the two cords may be carried outside the spindledirectly to the eyes; but `I prefer to run them through the spindle,thence down through the needle-hole e onto the fabric on which the cordis to be stitched. While lying in the position as denoted in Fig. 3, theneedle is caused to go down between the two cords and form a stitch, theneedle rises, the guide `and fingers are turned over to the positionshown in Fig. 5, crossing the cordsthat is, carrying the cords toopposite lsides-the needle again descends between the two cords, whilein the last-named position, Fig. 5, forms a stitch over the crossedcords, the needle again asce-nds, the fingers are returned to theposition in Fig. 3, and so on, laying the cord in two zigzag lines, asshown in Fig. 10. Were the fingers not drawn back vor away as theyrotate from one side to theother, as

shown in Figs. 3 to 5, they would catch or interi'ere with the threadof' the machine. Theref'ore it is necessary that the fingers b and cshould be drawn away in order to pass the thread which runs from theneedle-eye through the presser-footto form the stitch. This movement Iaccomplish in the following manner: l construct on the presser foot asegmental guide,f, turned up perpendicular to the axis of` the spindle.In this said guide I make a slot. (See Fig. l.) I attach to the axis of'the spindle a slotted lever, g. I construct a yoke, t', which sets onover the gnidef, and to it the lever g is pivoted, the pivot runningthrough 'the slot in the guidef. To turn and return the lingers andspindle, the said yokei must traverse over the segmental guide f, asshown in its different positions during such traverse in Figs. 8, 4, and5, and in its traverse, as it approaches the center, it will force thelever g outward, (and through its connection the spindle and tingers,)as seen in Fig. 4, away f'rom and so as to pass the thread, and asitgoes on from the center to the position in Fig. 5 it will be carried inagain, and in its return traverse the same line as before.

I have described the fingers as carryingone cord or braid each but asingle cord through the eye of one finger only maybe used and form asingle zigzag line, as seen in Fig. 9; or several cords may be used ineach finger by making more eyes, as seen in Fig. 7. For braiding Iprefer to make the eye elongated, as seen in Fig. 8, as by doing so I amenabled to lay the braid more perfectly vthan with a round eye. Theelongated eye will carry cord as well as the round eye.

The great advantage in laying braid by the rocking tingers is that theyfold the braid, as seen, in a singleline, Fig. 1l, and consequently makemuch nicer work than if drawn from side to side without folding.

I place one or more spools, G H, Figs. 1 and 2, in any convenient mannerand position from which to draw the cord or braid, and apply any knowndevicefor adjusting the tension ot' the cord or braid.

In operating thefingers to rock from side to side, as described,it isnecessary to make two movements ot' the needle-that is, make twostitches to one full movement of the fingers, or, in other words, onestitch as the fingers rock forward and a second as they return. This maybe done by a counter-shaft geared to run one revolution to two, whichwould probably be the first plan suggested. This would cause no smallalteration of the sewingmachine, but my object being to make myinvention equally applicable to all sewing-machines, I employ the devicehereinafter mentioned, which forms the second part of my iuvention.

I attach a thin plate of metal, l, to the rear ofthe machine in anyconvenient manner. In the Wheeler 85 Wilson machine I employ the screw,which secures the presser-arm to the bedplate for this purpose. On thesaid plate, in proper guides 2 2, I place a slide, 3, with a coil orother spring applied thereto to hold the said slide against theneedle-arm B. (See Fig. 2, where the arm is represented as raised.)NVhen the needle-arm goes down the slide follows, as denoted in red,Fig. 2. I place a second slide, 4, in proper guides,5 5, on the saidplate,which connects by an adjustable rod, 6, with the yoke i, throughwhich the spindle and fingers are rocked. On the said plate I hang alever, 7on a i'ulcrum, 8, an arm of which extends to the slide 4 andlies between two pins, 9 9, inserted in said slide 4. I operate the saidlever 7 to move the slide 4 back and forth in the following manner:Through the said lever 7 I set two pins, 10 and ll. (See Figs. 12, 13,and 14, enlarged.) The said pins extend down through the lever 7 intoslots l2. (See Figs. 12 and 13.) In the forward end of the said slots Iform an inclined plane. rising toward the front, and as the lever 7 isturned into the position denoted in Fig. 14 in black the piu 10 willascend the incline in its slot (see Fig. 13) and rise up through thelever. I place aspring, 13 so as to rest unon the upper end of each ofthe said pins to force them down, so `that when the lever 7 is movedinto the position denoted in blue both pins (nothing preventing) couldbe forced down, as seen in Fig. 12, but continue the movement ot thelever to the position denoted in red, Fig. 14, and the pin 1l would beraised, as see pin numbered l0 in Fig. 13. Therefore to operate thelever 7 automatically, l place in the end of the slide 3 two thinspring-dogs, 14 and 15. (See Fig. 2.) As the needle-arm rises, supposethe lever 7 to be in the position denoted in red, Fig. 14, the pin 11forward, and up as pin numbered 1U in Fig. 13,-the dogs will be forcedback by the rising needle-arm and the dog 15 will strike the pin 11 andforce the lever from the position in red to that in black, as iu Figs. 2and 14. I form a head upon the said pins 10 and 11, (see Figs. 12 and13,) and the dog strikes under the said head (see Fig. 12) and preventsthe pin from dropping until the dog leaves it. The other pin ascends theinclined plane under the other dog, (see Fig. 13,) the elasticity of thedog allowing it to do so. This movement ofthe lever,through theconnections before described, turns the spindle a from front to back,the needle-arm descends, thespring acting on the slide 3 forces the dogsback to the position denoted in red, Fig. 2, the pin 11 drops, and whenthe needle-arm again rises the dog 14 will strike the pin 10, which atthis stage is elevated, and return the lever 7 to the position denotedin red, Fig. 14, and so on, each movement of the needle-arm alternatelyturning the lever, as described, and through connections the spindle andfingers.

If the braiding attachment is not wanted, set the lever in the positiondenoted in blue, Fig. 14, and allow both pins to drop. Then the dogswill pass over both without moving the lever.

To again set the braiding apparatus in motion, move the said lever 7 toeither position denoted in red or black, Fig 14, and one of the 'pinswill be up to receive the dog in its next advance, and will operate asbefore.

Having thus fully described my invention, I do not broadly claimcarrying cord or braid alternately from one side of the needle ofsewing-machines to the other and setting a stitch at cach movement inorder to form a zigzag line. Neither' do I claim as of my invention adouble thread-holder operating in such a manner as to cross its twothreads alternately to the right and left of the needle. Neither do Iclaim delivering thread, braids, or cords in the path ofand before theneedle of a sewin g-machine through or by means of a rotary shaft; but

What I do claim as of my invention, and de` 4 sire to secure by LettersPatent, is-

1. The spindle a, with one or more fingers, b c, and guidef, when thesame are made to operate in combination with the needle of sew- Ying-machines and its operative mechanism, substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

2. The combination andvarlangement dey 4. 'lhe lever 7 and s'lide 4,ill-combination scribed of the spindle a, segmental guide f with thefingers b o, substantially/in the manand yoke i or its equivalent,substantially in ner and for the purpose described.

he manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. The lever 7, pins 10 and 11, and dogs 14 and l5, when the same arecombined and arranged to operate together substantially in the mannerspecified.

HORACE H. OHITTENDEN.

Witnesses:

S. R. DIoKsoN, JOHN E. EARL.

